My Grandfather, Mesrob Shekerdemian, A Hero In The Resistance

[HyeDemian]

As my signature reads, my grandfather was a commander in the resistance to the Turkish GENOCIDE of ARMENIANS, 1915-1919. He was largely successful in rescuing his village, Hajun, in southeast Asia Minor, and settling its members in Cyprus. He himself settled in Cyprus, and established missions to seek out orphans of the HOLOCAUST, and bring them to Cyprus, and place them in orphanages where they could be subsequently adopted or reunited with family members whom his missions would find. He wrote 2 volumes of memoirs, which my father, who you see in my signature picture with my sister, and I are currently translating. I was too young to know my grandfather as a child, as I left Cyprus before I was 2. But I met him later when I was 26, after graduating from law school, on a pilgrimage to Cyprus to see my hero when he was 103. He told me of battles lost and won, and I told that I knew all about him and that I knew that he was a great man. He started laughing, and stared at me as if I was crazy. Well, I'm Armenian. Doesn't that speak for itself?

[gegev]

Re: My Grandfather, Mesrob Shekerdemian, A Hero In The Resistance

As my signature reads, my grandfather was a commander in the resistance to the Turkish GENOCIDE of ARMENIANS, 1915-1919. He was largely successful in rescuing his village, Hajun, in southeast Asia Minor, and settling its members in Cyprus. He himself settled in Cyprus, and established missions to seek out orphans of the HOLOCAUST, and bring them to Cyprus, and place them in orphanages where they could be subsequently adopted or reunited with family members whom his missions would find. He wrote 2 volumes of memoirs, which my father, who you see in my signature picture with my sister, and I are currently translating. I was too young to know my grandfather as a child, as I left Cyprus before I was 2. But I met him later when I was 26, after graduating from law school, on a pilgrimage to Cyprus to see my hero when he was 103. He told me of battles lost and won, and I told that I knew all about him and that I knew that he was a great man. He started laughing, and stared at me as if I was crazy. Well, I'm Armenian. Doesn't that speak for itself?

God bless him!

May Armenians grow up many brave children like your grandfather.

With regards,

Gevorg

[Haykakan]

Re: My Grandfather, Mesrob Shekerdemian, A Hero In The Resistance

I never saw my grandfathers, one was lost in WW2 the other wounded and died much later when i was 2. I am glad you had a chance to reconnect with the man you admired.

[HyeDemian]

Re: My Grandfather, Mesrob Shekerdemian, A Hero In The Resistance

God bless him!

May Armenians grow up many brave children like your grandfather.

With regards,

Gevorg

GOD BLESS YOU, your children, your family, your forefathers and our brethren. We are the strongest and bravest people extant. Although my title is "SecularHye", I have my own God and believe in Him to my own understanding and I pray to him every day and night. He has blessed me in so many ways, that it's come time for me to share in my blessings. I have shared all my contact information below my avatar, and I have no reservations in receiving communications in any medium from anyone who has free calling or if not, by email. Thank you, Gevorg, and I'll look out for your posts and your threads, and add you to my friends list. Let's keep in touch.

Regards

Ric Demian

[Gavur]

Re: My Grandfather, Mesrob Shekerdemian, A Hero In The Resistance

Yervan Shekerdemian's Survivor Story
The town of Hadjin, in southeastern Turkey, had a pre-war population of approximately 25,000. Less than a third of that number were repatriated in 1919, hopeful that the massacres would be a thing of the past. But in early 1920, Turkish chetes were sighted. By the end of March, the battle lines had been drawn and a 600-strong army of Hadjin residents was assembled. But the residents of the town proved incapable of resisting the Turkish machine-guns, cannons, and bombs.

Yervan Shekerdemian still remembers the battle that he survived due to the kindness of a Turkish officer. Shekerdemian, now aged 95, was a 13-year-old messenger scampering between battalions when Hadjin was besieged. His father was an entrepreneur who traded with Turks. He remembers his home town as "mainly Armenian, although there was a Turkish street and a few Kurds. The local Turks were friendly and there was harmony in the community. But their minds were poisoned by immigrant Turks and they started to change the way they dealt with us." Hadjin's Armenians held off the Turks for 8 months before the town finally fell. Then, in one week, the resistance crumbled and 2,000 people ran to the mountains. Four hundred managed to reach nearby Adana.

Yervan Shekerdemian was one of a small group captured while attempting to escape. "The Turks were grabbing anyone they could," he explains:

I was in a group of twelve. The other eleven were beaten to death: some were chopped up with swords, but I survived because I was giving names of important Turkish people who my father had dealings with. The soldiers took me to their leader, Yousef, and he said, "I knew your father. He was a good man who helped me a lot." Yousef had been imprisoned for not paying taxes, and my father had paid off his debts and arranged his release. So he said, "I've killed a lot of Armenians, but because of what your father did for me, I'm going to spare you."

So Yousef took me to his house. He had three wives and thirteen children. When they realized I was Armenian, they treated me badly, because one of the brothers had been killed by an Armenian. But Yousef said, "His father was good to me. You will have to look after him." But once Yousef was out of the house, they would beat me. I suffered from lack of sleep, I had to work all the time. They treated me like a bad slave.

Yervan's brother, Mesrop, had escaped to Adana, where he asked the local bishop to inquire after Yervan. Eventually the boy was traced by Kazim, a Turkish peasant, who accepted the task of bringing him to Adana. One night, when Yousef was out, Kazim took Yervan, and hid him amid the food and goods in his carriage. They traveled to Jihan, near the border with Allied territory, where Yervan was re-united with his brother. From there they continued to Adana, where they stayed for two months, until the Turks conquered the town. Mesrop, again aided by the bishop, found passage on a boat which took them to Cyprus, where they lived for 40 years.

Yervan was one of the lucky ones. Another brother and two sisters, survived. But his parents died in "deportations" from Hadjin. He lost uncles, aunts, and cousins, as well as friends. His childhood, like so many others, was shattered by the atrocities. But his story also emphasizes the distinction between the government's policy, and the actions of individual Turks like Kazim, who risked their lives to help Armenians — to whom, often, they had no obligations.

Now, more than 80 years after he lost most of his family and all his possessions, Yervan has only one wish:

I do not seek money. I do not seek anger or hatred against the Turks. I seek peace. But what I do want is the recognition — they are guilty of genocide — and I want them to recognize that. Turkey must recognize what it did to us and our dead. We must have that dignity.

Excerted from Who Remembers the Armenians? by Nichlas Jubber

http://www.hadjin.com/A_Survivors_Story_by_Yervan_Shekerdemian.htm

www.Hadjin.com A Town No More

http://www.hadjin.com/index.html

[gegev]

Re: My Grandfather, Mesrob Shekerdemian, A Hero In The Resistance

GOD BLESS YOU, your children, your family, your forefathers and our brethren. We are the strongest and bravest people extant. Although my title is "SecularHye", I have my own God and believe in Him to my own understanding and I pray to him every day and night. He has blessed me in so many ways, that it's come time for me to share in my blessings. I have shared all my contact information below my avatar, and I have no reservations in receiving communications in any medium from anyone who has free calling or if not, by email. Thank you, Gevorg, and I'll look out for your posts and your threads, and add you to my friends list. Let's keep in touch.

Regards

Ric Demian

Many thaks dear Ric!

And you are my friend. Very glad and proud of having friends of such heritage. I'm a former teacher and MBA. Now I'm on penison. Telling the truth I didn't learn and use the user profile features of this forum yet; but I will use it in future.

With best regards,

Gevorg

[bell-the-cat]

Re: My Grandfather, Mesrob Shekerdemian, A Hero In The Resistance

As my signature reads, my grandfather was a commander in the resistance to the Turkish GENOCIDE of ARMENIANS, 1915-1919. He was largely successful in rescuing his village, Hajun, in southeast Asia Minor.

Some 400 (by chance, or luck, or individual bravery) survivors out of an original 25,000 doesn't sound much like "largely successful in rescuing his village". What is the point of altering the truth?
I've a copy of a female survivor's account of the siege somewhere on my pc. Will try to find it.

[HyeDemian]

Re: My Grandfather, Mesrob Shekerdemian, A Hero In The Resistance

Some 400 (by chance, or luck, or individual bravery) survivors out of an original 25,000 doesn't sound much like "largely successful in rescuing his village". What is the point of altering the truth?
I've a copy of a female survivor's account of the siege somewhere on my pc. Will try to find it.

If you want to question the accuracy of my account, I have the materials that will bear me out. What did your grandfather do? Mine is recorded and pictured in history books, and is a historical figure in our history. I'm sorry you don't have access to the books in my copious personal library, but maybe www.amazon.com/ can help you. TYVM.

[Gavur]

Re: My Grandfather, Mesrob Shekerdemian, A Hero In The Resistance

Some 400 (by chance, or luck, or individual bravery) survivors out of an original 25,000 doesn't sound much like "largely successful in rescuing his village". What is the point of altering the truth?
I've a copy of a female survivor's account of the siege somewhere on my pc. Will try to find it.

THOSE 400 WERE ORPHANS YOU POOPHEAD. Your obviously out of your environment making comments on matters you've no first hand experience in, odar gadu.

[HyeDemian]

Re: My Grandfather, Mesrob Shekerdemian, A Hero In The Resistance

THOSE 400 WERE ORPHANS YOU POOPHEAD. Your obviously out of your environment making comments on matters you've no first hand experience in, odar gadu.

You tell him Gavur, my friend, and now I'll tell him.

With no credentials but scissors and paste, this xxxxx ding dong picks a fight with the hero's grandson. Bella the xxxxx Cat, you're a smidgeon of a woman, and no match for a child. My grandfather was a fighter, a businessman, a humanitarian and an author. My maternal grandfather was a dentist and a tycoon. My second cousin is an author. Another cousin is a physician. Still another is a recording artist. My father was an engineer, an orator, an actor and is now an author. My sister is a child psychologist and an author. I've been a conspiracy lawyer in 3 jurisdictions, an actor, a singer and now an author. Don't bother trying to trace my credentials, because I never practiced under either of the names you see here. You have no cats to bella here. The editors have crossed out the name I've called you, but you and others can well guess what it is.

So Bella, go get a life, get a boyfriend, put up your dukes and be prepared to do battle with the toughest SOB you ever ever "hit" on. We're Armenians, and we're here because our genetic inheritance programmed us to survive against the severest of odds. Bella the xxxxx Cat, besides nothing, what do you do?

As I edit this, do you notice this kitty cat doesn't come back? A job well done, my friends. A cheap "hit" and run artist who has not the guts of a kitten!

I'm editing this again, and the ding dong kitty cat still hasn't come back to fight. He was, as Gavur said, an "odorous gadu", with no weapons besides scissors and paste. I stand by my account, as it was told to me by my grandfather and repeated by my father. If it was embellished, I indulge the recollections of a dying man. If anyone can locate the kitty cat, invite him to meet in any forum. I'm on YM, and can be found in other forums, like "I Love Philosophy" (LexDemian), "Science and Philosophy Forums" (LexDemian), "Boxing Forums" (MuhammadAloud), "Classic Rock Forums (Lex Demian) and "Pro Wrestling Forums" (Space Volcano). He can also meet me in IRC chat (EyeCue4U). Actually, this is fun. Thanks for your kind words, and God bless our race.